I thought I would share this oldie tutorial from 2008 that I wrote on my stock photography blog at Microstockjunction.

You won’t find many light painted photos in microstock, (honestly, microstock doesn’t have much of an artistic side, does it!) but it is certainly a creative and beautiful method of lighting.  I first heard of this technique last fall and the photos I saw were so ethereal I was inspired.   I rushed out and purchased a small Maglight that quickly found a home in my bag of gear…. months passed.   But, for the first time in ages there were flowers in my house this week, and I remembered those beautiful light painted flowers that seemed to possess their own light….

A light painted image is created in total darkness, with a moving light source and long shutter speeds, sometimes as long as several minutes.  This technique creates a dramatic, dreamy lighting, far different than strobes and natural sources.  It is a great technique for product photography.  When I see earthly looking objects, wooden bowls of fruit, etc. this method of lighting often creates a mood that I can only describe as antique.

Those experienced with this method say that it takes hours of practice to master light painting.  I do have to agree that my limited experience of taking a couple dozen exposures and checking my LCD are not much for practice (but I’ll still share my experience with you ).

You will need a totally dark room, a tripod, a light source and your subject.  My light source was a small maglight and I set up my tripod in the corner of a dark room with very little space to maneuver around.  My subject was a 4 day old bouquet of flowers.  My working space was obstructed and I was forced to work from primarily the right side.   The setup was about 3 feet in front of a chartreuse silk curtain.   I won’t share all of my blunders with you, and nothing that I’ll present is magnificent.  The photos are cropped square – not the most interesting composition, but I’ll keep it consistent throughout.

My first shots were of the entire bouquet.  Ugly results that you don’t want to see, overexposed spots, noise, lack of focus.   From reviewing my LCD I decided to concentrate on a single stem at a time.

This first photograph below is a disaster.  It was shot head on with most of the light coming straight from the flashlight.  At some point I bumped the vase or the table, creating motion blur.   Full lighting from the front has left it flower flat and lifeless.  Most shots of this white flower had hotspots (overexposed areas).

White Balance:  Tungsten

Shutter Speed:  1/30th at f22

Focal length:  38mm

Flashlight – no snoot

The following shot still isn’t perfect, but a big improvement.  I added a snoot made from cardboard wrapped around the head of the flashlight.  Technically, it should have been black material, but I could only muster up something with a greenish colour.  It didn’t seem to bleed into the photos though.

I managed not to overexpose any parts on this next shot, but some areas are still pretty dark.  Snooted light was run underneath, and through the sides of the petals.  The side-lighting gave some nice details to the petals, and the centre of the flower, details that may have been lost with a direct light.  The blue smear on the bottom is from the flashlight entering the frame.  It would be easy enough to clean up in Photoshop, but obviously, care should be taken to stay out of the frame.

Tungsten White Balance

30 second exposure  f22

Snooted flashlight

The yellow flower was a more pleasing subject.  The left side could have used more light.  Did I mention my shooting area was obstructed?  The light on the stem was intentional, but it could have used a little more (or a lot less).

Tungsten White Balance

30 second exposure  f22

Snooted flashlight

The next shot I thought turned out quite well.   Spots on the top front area are slightly overexposed, but I used a slightly larger fstop as well.  (Most of the shots of this green flower were overexposed to some degree.)  Side lighting worked really nicely with the strange petals.  I paid a bit of attention to the stem of this flower also, but they had been cut for some time and the petals were already dry and brittle – not so pretty!

Tungsten White Balance

30 second exposure  f16

Snooted flashlight

The next flower translated the best.  I found a more digital noise with this darker colour though.  I tried a couple shots with f16, but that tended to overexpose too many spots.  Again, that flashlight snuck into the bottom of the frame on this one.

Tungsten White Balance

30 second exposure  f22

Snooted flashlight

The red coloured flower turned out to be my favourite.   Here is an uncropped look.  The vase was quite translucent and barely reflected any light.   More light on the stem and an opaque vase would have improved the shot.

Yes, whoever it was that said it takes hours of practice was correct, but still, I am quite pleased with my first attempt light painting.  Now that I have a better idea what to prepare for, I will take time to dress my set, have an unobstructed shooting space, and supplies on hand:  tape, pre-cut cardboard for snoots of various sizes, fresh batteries in the flashlight, scissors to trip stems, a spray bottle to spritz the flowers.   Most importantly, even if I don’t master this technique, I’ll still have the benefit of writing off a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers!